Brookstone's eighth grade year is a year of culminating experiences. The focus is on transition, moving students toward the independence and maturity required for Upper School success. Emphasis is placed on personal responsibility, time management, and goal setting. Academically students are required to demonstrate an expanded application of skills taught throughout the Middle School. This is reflected in the completion of semester exams in all academic subjects. Additional culminating activities include the presentation of a formal speech to the student body reflecting written and oral communication skills emphasized during the Middle School years. Also, the week-long trip to North Carolina encourages the application of those physical and inter-personal skills introduced during the outdoor education process that begins in the fifth grade.

The eighth grade speech program, which requires each eighth grader to present a formal speech before the entire student body, gives students an opportunity to demonstrate the maturity and self confidence they have developed during the middle school years.